Current status of procedural skills training in physician assistant programs in the United States

To describe procedural skills training in physician assistant (PA) programs in the United States.

An online cross-sectional seven-item survey was administered to program directors of the then 154 accredited PA programs in the US in 2012. Outcome measures were: number of programs having formal skills lists, skills courses, and/or learning activities; sources used in developing list contents; and methods used in evaluating performance competency during the preclinical, clinical, and summative evaluation phases. Respondents were invited to submit a copy of their skills list.

One hundred and one programs responded, for a response rate of 66%. Ninety-six percent of respondents maintained skills lists, and 99% taught skills during the preclinical curriculum. The most frequent sources used in developing list contents were: program director; academic coordinator; other PA faculty; and clinical coordinator. Thirty-five percent of respondents submitted skills lists. The five most common skills taught were: bladder catheterization, casting and splinting, suturing, venipuncture, and injection techniques. However, not all skills were uniformly taught. Faculty evaluation on inanimate or live models was the most common assessment method in the preclinical phase; student self-reporting was the most common in the clinical phase. Seventy-six percent of respondents evaluated performance competency as a part of summative evaluation.

Most US PA programs had a skills list and taught skills during their preclinical curriculum. List contents were determined primarily by program faculty but lacked uniformity. Across programs, skills evaluation was more consistent during the preclinical than the clinical phase.